Braver Hund! The German Shepherd

For all you German Shepherd lovers out there, here are some facts about these awesome-looking dogs you may not know:

They are a fairly new breed. They date back to 1899 when a German Cavalry Officer, Captain Max Von Stephanitz decided to come up with a German herding dog breed better than their human counterparts.

Hollywood made them popular. During World War I an American soldier rescued a German Shepherd puppy from a bombed-out dog kennel and brought the pup back home to America. This puppy eventually became the most popular dog in Hollywood: Rin Tin Tin. This dog’s rise to fame also made his breed very popular in America and eventually the world.

They are very smart. Intelligent and capable of accomplishing almost any task, they can easily be trained to do all sorts of things.

They are very hard working. Not only are they smart,they are also very persistent. Once they are given a job to do, they will make sure it is done just the way they have been trained to do it.

They’re not just shepherds. Because of their intelligence and persistence, they eventually ended up doing so much more than just shepherding livestock. German Shepherds help in law enforcement, military, rescue, assisting the blind and disabled, and so many other jobs.

They get lonely. You cannot leave them alone for long periods of time. By long periods, we don’t mean days but hours. If you do leave them alone, they get bored, lonely, and upset. To cope they turn to disruptive and destructive acts such as constant barking, scratching or chewing on anything they can get their paws at.

They need activity. Partly because they easily get bored and lonely and mostly because they seem to generate a lot of energy, it is a must that they enjoy regular, rigorous activities to keep them preoccupied and to use up all that energy. Daily runs and park visits help as well as assigning them simple tasks to do. They can fetch the daily newspaper—if you still subscribe to print or your slippers, if you don’t—or keep the doors closed or put down the toilet seats and covers. Giving them regular training sessions will definitely keep them happily busy.

They shed a lot of fur. You’ll need to practice regular good grooming to keep their fur at bay. Plus you’ll probably need to vacuum around the house more often.

They don’t like strangers. Although they need companionship, they are very wary of people they do not know. This can be remedied by getting a German Shepherd pup adapted at an early age through regular exposure; for example, try bringing them to public places where they can be exposed to other people.

They make good guard dogs. Their wariness of strangers is what makes them good at guard duty.

They love their family. When we say family we don’t just mean their moms and puppies. When we say family we also mean their human family. They are one of the most loving, caring and loyal pets you and your family can ever have. They are very good with kids, sometimes acting like human parents would.

We’re sure you and your family will have lots of fun moments with a German Shepherd, that is if you’re not having lots of fun already.